Got a surprise from some old cloth wiring in a 1920s house in Tacoma

I was rewiring a kitchen in this old house and everything seemed fine until I went to pull out a switch. The cloth insulation just crumbled in my hand, like it turned to dust. I had to stop the whole job right there and explain to the homeowner why we needed to replace all the wiring, not just the kitchen circuits. It added about two days of work and a couple thousand to the estimate, which they weren't happy about at first. Anyone else run into this and have a good way to explain the safety risk to customers without scaring them too much?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_holly4d ago

Oh man, that's the old house special right there. Nothing like a wiring surprise that turns a simple job into a whole house rewire. I usually tell people it's like finding the frame of their car is made of wet cardboard, it's just not holding up the system anymore. They get the car comparison way faster than electrical talk.

gracethomas4d ago

That car frame comparison is spot on. Makes me wonder about the hidden stuff we never see, like old plumbing inside walls. Imagine finding original galvanized pipes that are basically solid rust on the inside. Water pressure drops to a trickle and you're looking at a full repipe, not just a new faucet. It's the same kind of silent failure waiting to happen.

matthewmiller4d ago

Galvanized pipe is the worst. Seen it so many times, total nightmare to deal with.